Wednesday, 11 November 2015

You may not have tired yet of the mithai or fireworks and I'm sure the festivities will continue strongly into the weekend but these two ladies wowed me so much with their gorgeous-ness that I had to super speed in a Diwali favourites post!!

Let's start with Deepika, she really is stunning which is just standard with all her looks but I'm loving absolutely everything about this look. Classic sari, classic hair do, classic jhumkis and then a gorgeous green smokey eye.

Then there's Kareena, how far has she come?! She looks absolutely stunning in both outfits. I think she could have played up the brown sabyasachi with a cleaner Base and stronger lip but hey let's not be too picky!!

These photos are making me want to wear my my hair in a centre parted low bun, seems to be a bit of a theme with many diwali looks....

Thursday, 22 January 2015

Hope you're all well and the cold isn't getting too much? Its actually a beautiful sunny day in London... super cold but so sunny - everything looks so much better and my mood just flies high when the sun is shining :)

Whilst I sit here with an egg mask in my hair (Egg, black seed oil and some cider vinegar to combat the smell) and another mask on my face (Elemis - Papaya enzyme peel, highly recommend the line!) its about time I shared my experience with Ayesha Yousaf with you all.... a designer that came highly recommended to me and one that I recommend myself - never has the process been so simple and fruitful!

If you're looking for something Elan-esque... with that kinda vibe going on then Ayesha Yousaf is for you. I don't want to take anything away from the designer by comparing her to Elan; Ayesha Yousaf is a very established brand in itself but its the nearest comparison I can think of.

It was a simple process for me, I flipped through her client album fell in love with this style and requested a sleeved version of this with Bordeaux as the contrasting colour.

Ladies its as simple as that! I emailed my requirements, mentioned my budget and got a response pretty quickly saying they could make a lighter version for me and would need to omit some of the work along the front and the 'jaal' work from the daman which I didn't mind. I paid, chased it up just once and then my beautiful outfit arrived and that too on time, beautifully wrapped in branded tissue paper.... something many 'high end' designers seem to skip on but does enhance customer experience overall; reassures that you have bought a quality product from a brand that respects its customers opinion (that's my marketing/branding side appreciating there!)!

The work on this is really beautiful, when it arrived I couldn't stop admiring each and every detail as all the work on it is very intricate; zardosi and thread work with little pearls and beads placed perfectly bringing together a very dressed up but also very elegant look. The work along the neckline is gorgeous but my favourite bits have to be the scalloped sleeves and hem of the kameez; completely uplifts the whole look! The kameez is net which is great as it means it will wear far better than chiffon and although net does sometimes catch on the work it handles this much better and hopefully the fabric will remain in tact for many wears to come!

In all with shipping etc this cost around £300 which I am happy with as it has quite a luxurious, unique look being fairly embellished and chic at the same time. I wore this to a very special family wedding and it was more than suitable, the best thing is, on a recent trip to India my mother had brought back a kundan set which had the same green drops as the work on the kameez, I couldn't wear the necklace as the work on the neckline was more than enough but the earrings complemented perfectly - what a result!

My lovely earrings

I don't believe I need to repeat myself in emphasizing how much I recommend Ayesha Yousaf because the photos above speak for themselves!!

Tuesday, 14 October 2014

FTA - Farah Talib Aziz is a brand Ive been a fan of for quite sometime which you will be very much aware of if you follow my Facebook Page - hint hint if you haven't liked AND followed yet please do so :)Their designs and colour schemes are classic and beautiful with an eternal charm about them - I know this sounds like a rather tall description but thats what the designs say to me.I decided to go with them when I required a new outfit for a friends wedding. I am struggling with the clothes addiction and the cost of attending weddings and outfits does add up so the best way for me to justify new stuff is to go for classic designs that I know I can wear in years to come...I got in touch with FTA through their FB page and was then directed to whatsApp where the lovely Maliha sent me designs that could be worked within my budget; I had just over £300 + shipping to spend which is not an amount they usually work with but I twisted her arm and she agreed!!My outfit is beautiful - its one of the few (this and the Ayesha Yousaf one - review to come folks!) that my husband actually likes!The work on it is intricate and neat, fabric is lovely zari which is patterned and also full of Mukesh work and fitting is just right. For once I was very hands off with this outfit - I only specified the colours, chose the design from the numerous photos I was sent but left everything to them.... okay doesn't sound that hands off however the vendors I usually order from will vouch for how specific I am with every tiny little detail! I went for a straight calf length kameez with a churidaar; they added a beautiful latkan to the back which just dresses it up that little bit more. The dupatta and churidaar are Orchid Purple in shade which sets of the green really well. The other thing I have noticed since wearing the outfit is that the work hasn't tugged at the fabric at all - This issue is the bain of my life! Metal wire from such embroidery usually sticks /rubs against my sleeves literally destroying the fabric - however after two wears... so far so good. I suppose this is the sign of extra good craftsmanship when the work doest do this. The mukesh does stick a little but nothing that will damage the fabric.The order arrived on time, I was able to pay to a UK bank account which was useful and I have a new classic and beautiful outfit in my wardrobe. I would highly recommend ordering from them for anyone looking for something special.

Wednesday, 27 August 2014

Hope you're all good and if you're in the UK hope you had a super fabulous bank holiday weekend!!

So, I had a wonderful reader email me asking if I had anything I wanted to sell clothes wise as she needed something to wear to an upcoming wedding and was looking for something which shouted out 'high end' but was pocket friendly too... I get asked this a lot and I've always been a bit reluctant but the tides are changing....

We all know what its like, especially if you mix in the same circles all the time, although there is nothing wrong with repeating outfits at all but understandably no one wants to repeat too close to the last wear and sometimes by the time you feel its okay to repeat the outfit it may not be in style and so you've just spent a fortune on something and not really been able to get full wear out of it.

Or it could simply be that the style didn't suit you or you have changed shape and it doesn't fit

Personally I am reasonably lucky - I have a few different sets of circles so usually am able to wear outfits quite a few times which helps make me sleep better at night!!

Anyway - back to the topic! The lovely Zee who emailed me initially has set up a page doing something similar to what I've been thinking of for a while called 'Desi Frugal Fashionista'- A place to buy and sell gently used outfits whilst they're still in fashion but also at a reasonable price so you are able to actually SELL the stuff - her three main rules are:

1. You must list the outfit for half price or less than what was originally paid. It may hurt to sell something for half the price if you have only worn it once but on the flip side if the discount you're offering is only nominal why would anyone buy something that's already been worn and they haven't seen the condition of either?

2. Must still be in fashion - lets be realistic no one really wants to buy something which looks dated

3. Must be in excellent condition

So ladies before it goes totally out of fashion or just sits in your wardrobe until you're bored of it why not sell it on, make a little bit of money and use that towards your next purchase??

Sell OFF all your super long shirts!! - Okay style comes from within and we must not let trends dictate but whether you like it or not we will all be in short shirts pretty soon; well actually, will probably take 12-18 months for full transition but why not try and sell off the super long ones whilst you still can?? What do you think????

This is slightly controversial and its meant to be to get you all debating - I know we will see floor length maxi type dresses for a while yet but for the on trend fashionista its time raise the hemlines?

Sunday, 27 July 2014

I thought I should nip in this quick review in case any of you still have last minute Eid outfit requirements - my bad - probs not possible to get anything in time for Eid now but maybe you can still squeeze something in for Post Eid events this weekend??

I was just browsing FB as I do when I came across a few Kurta's for sale from Asian Designers UK - it was listed at £30 which is a pretty good price for a silk embellished Kurta in my opinion especially when you don't have to add high shipping and money transfer costs so I got in touch.

Marwa was incredibly helpful, answered all my sizing queries very promptly over whatsApp and sent me suggestions for another outfit I was also interested in - the second outfit didn't work out but she still remained very helpful and even later sent me some alternative suggestions. She wasn't pushy at all, just came up with suggestions suited to my requirements.

I transferred the money + shipping costs (3.99) and received the kurta by first class post the following day - such a simple process :)

I would highly recommend having a look through her page if you are after casual/semi formals

The Kurta it self is lovely, looks exactly like the pics and actually for the price quite dressy too - I'm happy!!

Me Distracted

I like all things pretty!
Current obsession is FB shopping for desi wear - totally hooked and can not stop buying!
I’ve always had a thing for fashion and beauty but my passion for Indian/Pakistani outfits has been ignited by the explosion of sellers and ‘designers’ on facebook! All those pictures of amazing colours, fabrics and designs just a mouse click away has left me always wanting more!!!
I am currently trying to curb my spending and am using this blog as an outlet! Here I want to post the outfits I come across and like, the sellers worth buying from, my personal experience's and the many other distractions in my life...
Watch out for much randomness too...
I love to talk! (well type where this blog is concerned!)